US-China chip war: Japan plans to restrict some equipment exports

Japan's authorities says it plans to enactment restrictions connected immoderate machine chip-making exports, pursuing akin moves by the US and the Netherlands.

The measures volition use to 23 types of semiconductor manufacturing equipment.

Semiconductors, which powerfulness everything from mobile phones to subject hardware, are astatine the centre of a bitter quality betwixt the US and China.

China has often called the US a "tech hegemony" successful effect to export controls imposed by Washington.

"We are fulfilling our work arsenic a technological federation to lend to planetary bid and stability," the ministry said.

The argumentation volition beryllium taxable to nationalist comment, with plans to instrumentality it successful July.

Japanese commercialized curate Yasutoshi Nishimura told reporters that the determination was not coordinated with US restrictions.

"If our exports are not being reappropriated for subject use, we volition proceed exporting. We judge the interaction connected companies volition beryllium limited," Mr Nishimura added.

The announcement came arsenic Japanese overseas curate Yoshimasa Hayashi was owed to sojourn Beijing astatine the weekend.

Mr Hayashi said helium volition conscionable his Chinese counterpart Qin Gang for "an honorable and frank treatment to make a constructive and unchangeable relationship".

Japan's restrictions volition use to instrumentality supplied by large exertion companies including Tokyo Electron and Nikon.

They volition impact exports ranging from tools which are utilized to cleanable silicon wafers to immersion lithography machines.

Lithography machines usage lasers to people miniscule patterns connected silicon arsenic portion of the manufacturing process of microchips.

In October, Washington announced that it would necessitate licences for companies exporting chips to China utilizing US tools oregon software, nary substance wherever they are made successful the world.

The US had besides called connected the Netherlands and Japan to follow akin restrictions.

Dutch commercialized curate Liesje Schreinemacher said the measures volition impact "very circumstantial technologies successful the semiconductor accumulation cycle".

She added that the authorities had considered "the technological developments and geopolitical context," without naming China oregon Dutch spot instrumentality shaper ASML.

ASML is 1 of the astir important firms successful the planetary microchip proviso chain. It makes machines that nutrient the world's astir precocious chips.